Former CEO of Innovate Finance joins CPS Board of Directors

The Centre for Policy Studies is pleased to announce Charlotte Crosswell OBE will be joining its Board of Directors with immediate effect.

Founded in 1974 by Sir Keith Joseph and Margaret Thatcher, the Centre for Policy Studies is one of the oldest and most influential think tanks in Westminster. With a focus on taxation, economic growth, business, welfare, housing and the environment, its mission is to develop policies that widen enterprise, ownership and opportunity. The think tank has a proud record of turning ideas into practical policy, and has been responsible for proposing the raising of the personal allowance, the Enterprise Allowance and the ISA, as well as many other more recent successful policy innovations, such as increasing the National Insurance threshold, free ports, fixed-rate mortgages.

Charlotte Crosswell, who received an OBE this year for her work in financial services, is the former CEO of Innovate Finance, the fintech industry body, where she played a pivotal role in accelerating the adoption of fintech in the UK and was co-Secretariat to the landmark Kalifa Review, which laid out a series of policies to strengthen the fintech industry here in the UK.

Prior to joining Innovate Finance, she spent the majority of her financial services career in market infrastructure roles. Charlotte has held a number of management positions at Nasdaq and London Stock Exchange across international capital markets, both in equities and fixed income. Charlotte is on the board of UK Finance, and also advises and sits on the boards of Government fintech advisory groups, technology companies and fintech startups, advocating for the innovation of UK financial services and scaling of UK high-growth companies. Charlotte holds a BA (Hons.) in French from Southampton University and has been included in the list of top 100 Women in Finance over many years.

Charlotte wants to use her time on the CPS board to support our work on economic growth, fintech and business innovation.

On joining the CPS, Charlotte said:

‘I am delighted to join the CPS board and work with the very talented team to focus on business growth post-pandemic. CPS plays a pivotal role in influencing government thinking and policies. It is essential that we close the gap between industry and government and I look forward to supporting this work, while focusing on the role that innovation and growth will play in economic recovery.’

Lord Spencer, Chairman of the CPS Board of Directors, said:

‘Charlotte is a hugely impressive individual, who has fought passionately throughout her career to make Britain a more entrepreneurial and business-friendly place, in particular via her work on fintech. I am delighted that she is joining our Board.’

Date Added: Wednesday 30th June 2021